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Book 1 - Vairagya Prakaranam

Chapter 28 — Mutability of the World

1. श्रीराम उवाच ।
यच्चेदं दृश्यते किंचिज्जगत्स्थावरजंगमम् ।
तत्सर्वमस्थिरं ब्रह्मन्स्वप्नसंगमसंनिभम् ॥ १ ॥
Rama said:—
Whatever we see of all moveable or immovable things in this world, they are all as evanescent as things viewed in a dream.
2. शुष्कसागरसंकाशो निखातो योऽद्य दृश्यते ।
स प्रातरभ्रसंवीतो नगः संपद्यते मुने ॥ २ ॥
The hollow desert that appears as the dried bed of a sea to-day, will be found to-morrow to be a running flood by the accumulation of rain-water in it.
3. यो वनव्यूहविस्तीर्णो विलीढगगनो महान् ।
दिनैरेव स यात्युर्वीसमतां कूपतां च वा ॥ ३ ॥
What is to-day a mountain reaching the sky and with extensive forests on it, is in course of time levelled to the ground, and is afterwards dug into pit.
4. यदङ्गमद्य संवीतं कौशेयस्रग्विलेपनैः ।
दिगम्बरं तदेव श्वो दूरे विशरिताऽवटे ॥ ४ ॥
The body that is clothed to-day with garments of silk, and decorated with garlands and fragrance, is to be cast away naked into a ditch to-morrow.
5. यत्राद्य नगरं दृष्टं विचित्राचारचञ्चलम् ।
तत्रैवोदेति दिवसैः संशून्यारण्यधर्मता ॥ ५ ॥
What is seen to be a city to-day, and busy with the bustle of various occupations, passes in course of a few days into the condition of an uninhabited wilderness.
6. यः पुमानद्य तेजस्वी मण्डलान्यधितिष्ठति ।
स भस्मकूटतां राजन्दिवसैरधिगच्छति ॥ ६ ॥
The man who is very powerful to-day and presides over principalities, is reduced in a few days to a heap of ashes.
7. अरण्यानी महाभीमा या नभोमण्डलोपमा ।
पताकाच्छादिताकाशा सैव संपद्यते पुरी ॥ ७ ॥
The very forest which is so formidable to-day and appears as blue as the azure skies, turns to be a city in the course of time, with its banners hoisted in the air.
8. या लतावलिता भीमा भात्यद्य विपिनावली ।
दिवसैरेव सा याति पुनर्मरुमहीपदम् ॥ ८ ॥
What is (to-day) a formidable jungle of thick forests, turns in time to be a table-land as on the mount Meru.
9. सलिलं स्थलतां याति स्थलीभवति वारिभूः ।
विपर्यस्यति सर्वं हि सकाष्ठाम्बुतृणं जगत् ॥ ९ ॥
Water becomes land and land becomes water. Thus the world composed of wood, grass and water becomes otherwise with all its contents in course of time.
10. अनित्यं यौवनं बाल्यं शरीरं द्रव्यसंचयाः ।
भावाद्भावान्तरं यान्ति तरङ्गवदनारतम् ॥ १० ॥
Our boyhood and youth, bodies and possessions are all but transient things, and they change from one state to another, as the ever fluctuating waves of the ocean.
11. वातान्तर्दीपकशिखालोलं जगति जीवितम् ।
तडित्स्फुरणसंकाशा पदार्थश्रीर्जगत्र्त्रये ॥ ११ ॥
Our lives in this (mortal) world, are as unsteady as the flame of a lamp placed at the window, and the splendour of all the objects in the three worlds, is as flickering as the flashing of the lightning.
12. विपर्यासमियं याति भूरिभूतपरम्परा ।
बीजराशिरिवाजस्रं पूर्यमाणः पुनःपुनः ॥ १२ ॥
As a granary stored with heaps of grains is exhausted by its continued waste, so is the stock of life spent away by its repeated respirations.
13. मनःपवनपर्यस्तभूरिभूतरजःपटा ।
पातोत्पातपरावर्तपराभिनयभूषिता ॥ १३ ॥
The mind of man is as fluctuating as a flag waving in the air and filled with the dust of sin, to indicate its wavering between the paths of heaven and hell.
14. आलक्ष्यते स्थितिरियं जागती जनितभ्रमा ।
नृत्तावेशविवृत्तेव संसारारभटीनटी ॥ १४ ॥
The existence of this delusive world, is as the appearance of an actress on the stage, shuffling her vests as she trudges along in her dancing.
15. गन्धर्वनगराकारविपर्यासविधायिनी ।
अपाङ्गभङ्गुरोदारव्यवहारमनोरमा ॥ १५ ॥
It’s scenes are as changeful and fascinating as those of a magic city; and its dealings as bewitching and momentary as the glances of a giggling girl.
16. तडित्तरलमालोकमातन्वाना पुनःपुनः ।
संसाररचना राजन्नृत्तसक्तेव राजते ॥ १६ ॥
The stage of the world presents us a scene of continued dancing (of the sorceress of deception), and the deceptive glances of her eyes resembling the fleeting flashes of lightning.
17. दिवसास्ते महान्तस्ते संपदस्ताः क्रियाश्च ताः ।
सर्वं स्मृतिपथं यातं यामो वयमपि क्षणात् ॥ १७ ॥
The days, the great men, their hey-days and deeds (that are past and gone), are now retained in our memory only, and such must be our cases also in a short time.
18. प्रत्यहं क्षयमायाति प्रत्यहं जायते पुनः ।
अद्यापि हतरूपाया नान्तोऽस्या दग्धसंसृतेः ॥ १८ ॥
Many things are going to decay and many coming anew day by day; and there is yet no end of this accursed course of events in this ever-changeful world.
19. तिर्यक्त्वं पुरुषा यान्ति तिर्यञ्चो नरतामपि ।
देवाश्चादेवतां यान्ति किमिवेह विभो स्थिरम् ॥ १९ ॥
Men degenerate into lower animals, and those again rise to humanity (by metempsychosis), gods become no-gods, and there is nothing that remains the same.
20. रचयन्रश्मिजालेन रात्र्यहानि पुनःपुनः ।
अतिवाह्य रविः कालो विनाशावधिमीक्षते ॥ २० ॥
The sun displays every thing to light by his rays, and watches over the rotations of days and nights, to witness like time the dissolution of all things.
21. ब्रह्मा विष्णुश्च रुद्रश्च सर्वा वा भूतजातयः ।
नाशमेवानुधावन्ति सलिलानीव वाडवम् ॥ २१ ॥
The gods Brahma, Vishnu and Siva and all material productions, are reduced to nothingness, like the submarine fire subsiding under the waters of the deep.
22. द्यौः क्षमा वायुराकाशं पर्वताः सरितो दिशः ।
विनाशवाडवस्यैतत्सर्वं संशुष्कमिन्धनम् ॥ २२ ॥
The heaven, the earth, the air, the sky, the mountains, the rivers, and all the quarters of the globe, are subject to destruction like the dry fuel by the all-destroying fire of the last day.
23. धनानि बान्धवा भृत्या मित्राणि विभवाश्च ये ।
विनाशभयभीतस्य सर्वं नीरसतां गतम् ॥ २३ ॥
Riches and relatives, friends, servants and affluence, are of no pleasure to him who is in constant dread of death.
24. स्वदन्ते तावदेवैते भावा जगति धीमते ।
यावत्स्मृतिपथं याति न विनाशकुराक्षसः ॥ २४ ॥
All these are so long delightful to a sensible man, as the monster of death does not appear before the eye of his mind.
25. क्षणमैश्वर्यमायाति क्षणमेति दरिद्रताम् ।
क्षणं विगतरोगत्वं क्षणमागतरोगताम् ॥ २५ ॥
We have prosperity at one moment, succeeded by adversity at another; so we have health at one time, followed by sickness soon after.
26. प्रतिक्षणविपर्यासदायिना निहतात्मना ।
जगद्भ्रमेण के नाम धीमन्तो हि न मोहिताः ॥ २६ ॥
What intelligent being is there, that is not misled by these delusions of the world, which represent things otherwise than what they are, and serve to bewilder the mind?
27. तमःपङ्कसमालब्धं क्षणमाकाशमण्डलम् ।
क्षण कनकनिष्यन्दकोमलालोकसुन्दरम् ॥ २७ ॥
(The world is as varying) as the face of the skies; it is now as black as dark clay, and in the next moment bright with the golden hues of fair light.
28. क्षणं जलदनीलाब्जमालावलितकोटरम् ।
क्ष्रणमुड्डामररवं क्षणं मूकमिव स्थितम् ॥ २८ ॥
It is now over-cast by azure clouds resembling the blue lotuses of the lake, and roaring loudly for a time and then being dumb and silent on a sudden:
29. क्षणं ताराविरचितं क्षणमर्केण भूषितम् ।
क्षणमिन्दुकृताह्लादं क्षणं सर्वबहिष्कृतम् ॥ २९ ॥
Now studded with stars, and now glowing with the glory of the sun;then graced by the pleasant moonbeams, and at last without any light at all.
30. आगमापायपरया क्षणसंस्थितिनाशया ।
न बिभेति हि संसारे धीरोऽपि क इवानया ॥ ३० ॥
Who is there so sedate and firm, that is not terrified at these sudden appearances and their disappearance, and the momentary durations and final dissolution of worldly things?
31. आपदः क्षणमायान्ति क्षणमायान्ति संपदः ।
क्षणं जन्म क्षणं मृत्युर्मुने किमिव न क्षणम् ॥ ३१ ॥
What is the nature of this world, where we are overtaken by adversity at one moment, and elated by prosperity at another, where one is born at a time, and dies away at another?
32. प्रागासीदन्य एवेह जातस्त्वन्यो नरो दिनैः ।
सदैकरूपं भगवन्किंचिदस्ति न सुस्थिरम् ॥ ३२ ॥
One that was something else before, is born as a man in this life, and is changed to another state in course of a few days; thus there is no being that remains steadily in the same state.
33. घटस्य पटता दृष्टा पटस्यापि घटस्थितिः ।
न तदस्ति न यद्दृष्टं विपर्यस्यति संसृतौ ॥ ३३ ॥
A pot is made of clay, and cloth is made of cotton, and they are still the same dull materials of which they are composed: thus there is nothing new in this world that was not seen or known before, and that changes not its form. (i. e. all is but a formal and no material change).
34. तनोत्युत्पादयत्यत्ति निहत्यासृजति क्रमात् ।
सततं रात्र्यहानीव निवर्तन्ते नरं प्रति ॥ ३४ ॥
The acts of creation and destruction, of diffusion, production, and sustentation follow one another, as the revolution of day and night to man.
35. अशूरेण हतः शूर एकेनापि हतं शतम् ।
प्राकृताः प्रभुतां याताः सर्वमावर्त्यते जगत् ॥ ३५ ॥
It happens sometimes, that an impotent man slays a hero, and that hundreds are killed by one individual; so also a commoner becomes a noble man, and thus every thing is changeful in this varying world.
36. जनतेयं विपर्यासमजस्रमनुगच्छति ।
जडस्पन्दपरामर्शात्तरङ्गाणामिवावली ॥ ३६ ॥
These bodies of men that are always changing their states, are as bodies of waters rising and falling in waves by motion of the winds.
37. बाल्यमल्पदिनैरेव यौवनश्रीस्ततो जरा ।
देहेऽपि नैकरूपत्वं कास्था बाह्येषु वस्तुषु ॥ ३७ ॥
Boyhood lasts but a few days, and then it is succeeded by youth which is as quickly followed by old age: thus there being no identity of the same person, how can one rely on the uniformity of external objects?
38. क्षणमानन्दितामेति क्षणमेति विषादिताम् ।
क्षणं सौम्यत्वमायाति सर्वस्मिन्नटवन्मनः ॥ ३८ ॥
The mind that gets delighted in a moment and becomes dejected in the next, and assumes likewise its equanimity at another, is indeed as changeful as an actor.
39. इतश्चान्यदितश्चान्यदितश्चान्यदयं विधिः ।
रचयन्वस्तुनायाति खेदं लीलास्विवार्भकः ॥ ३९ ॥
The creator who is ever turning one thing into another in his work of creation, is like a child who makes and breaks his doll without concern.
40. चिनोत्युत्पादयत्यत्ति निहत्यासृजति क्रमात् ।
सततं रात्र्यहानीव निवर्तन्ते नरं प्रति ॥ ४० ॥
The actions of producing and collecting (of grains), of feeding (one’s self) and destroying (others), come by turns to mankind like the rotation of day and night.
41. आविर्भावतिरोभावभागिनो भवभागिनः ।
जनस्य स्थिरतां यान्ति नापदो न च संपदः ॥ ४१ ॥
Neither adversity nor prosperity is of long continuance in the case of worldly people, but they are ever subject to appearance and disappearance by turns.
42. कालः क्रीडत्ययं प्रायः सर्वमापदि पातयन् ।
हेलाविचलिताशेषचतुराचारचञ्चुरः ॥ ४२ ॥
Time is a skilful player and plays many parts with ease; but he is chiefly skilled in tragedy, and often plays his tragic part in the affairs of men.
43. समविषमविपाकतो विभिन्नास्त्रिभुवनभूतपरम्पराफलौघाः ।
समयपवनपातिताः पतन्ति प्रतिदिनमाततसंसृतिद्रुमेभ्यः ॥ ४३ ॥
All beings are produced as fruits in the great forest of the universe, by virtue of their good and bad acts (of past lives): and time like a gust of wind blasts them day by day before their maturity.
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